The present invention relates to thin-walled tubular material such as sausage casing, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for severing a thin-walled tubular material of indefinite length advancing about a support mandrel, into a plurality of segments of predetermined length.
When a predetermined length of tubular casing has been shirred on a shirring mandrel, separation thereof from a supply of said casing is desired so that individual sticks of compressed, shirred casing can be prepared and then removed from about the mandrel. Some typical methods of severing a length of shirred tubular casing from the casing supply are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,110,058 (Marback), 3,112,517 (Ives) and 3,942,221 (Sipusic et al).
The advent of automatic stuffing machines has made important the integrity of the shirred sticks. Loss of integrity necessitates corrective manual operations, which slow production and increase costs. Further, it is desirable that a consistent shirring pattern be maintained throughout the stick, including the ends thereof, to insure uniform eversion during the stuffing operation and, therefore, a uniform product.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved method of severing a strand of shirred casing from the following casing while the casing moves along a mandrel.
It is a further object to provide a severing method which avoids damage to the severed strand.
It is another object to provide a severing method which yields a strand having a consistent shirring pattern along the entire length thereof.
These objects are accomplished by a method involving deshirring a portion of the shirred casing and then tensioning the deshirred casing to effect a parting thereof. More specifically, a pair of clamping members are utilized to first extend the shirred casing along the mandrel and then grip and tension the deshirred portion to effect separation.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device to practice the above-described method.
It is still another object to provide a severing device which is compatible with existing shirring equipment.
These objects are accomplished by utilizing a pair of double-jawed clamping members adapted to grip the shirred casing at two points along the axis thereof for deshirring the casing therebetween, and being further adapted to grip the deshirred casing at two points along the axis thereof for effecting a separation therebetween.